Chapter 002: Fortunately, I'm Not Human
"Critical energy loss! Critical energy loss, replenish immediately!"
"No external power source detected, switching to backup bio-energy reserves..."
"Countdown initiated: 10, 9... 3, 2, 1!"
"Beep beep... beep."
"Systems online!"
Darkness surrounded him, and Mason found himself collapsed on the ground.
"I'm... not dead yet?"
Thinking of the spot where the android's blade had pierced him, Mason understood. "Thank God. If it had been slightly off-center and punctured another vital system, I'd probably be scrap metal."
He tried to move, finding his motor functions still intact.
He heard the sound of something heavy being dragged, as if someone was busy with cleanup. "It's that synthetic bitch, she's still inside!" Mason was startled, quietly suppressing his urge to get up. Don't be fooled by her slender frame—she was purely mechanical! Even the weakest household android was beyond Mason's capabilities in a straight fight.
Mason kept his head down, sprawled on the floor. It seemed the android had dragged him in this position after stabbing him, then tossed him aside like garbage.
He cautiously opened his eyes and glanced to the side. His optical sensors fell upon a twisted skull, grey matter slowly oozing down slightly chubby cheeks. The metallic smell and bloody sight nearly triggered his nausea protocols.
He quietly turned his head away, looking in another direction. Through the gap in the sofa, he saw the android open the package he'd delivered, removing a dark metal case. Mason was intently watching her movements when he saw her suddenly stand up and stride toward him.
Mason's artificial heart skipped a beat; his hydraulics tensed, and he quietly gripped the combat knife at his waist.
Snap!
The android roughly snapped off Mr. Hansen's right thumb, then pressed the severed digit against a biometric scanner on the metal case.
Beep...beep, a synthesized electronic tone rang out, and the lid of the case hissed open with a blast of cryogenic fog that revealed its contents. Due to his low angle, Mason couldn't see inside, but he keenly noticed a logo on the side of the case.
It belonged to Cyberdyne Systems—a company that manufactured military-grade android components.
With a ripping sound, the android casually tore off her white robe, exposing her perfectly engineered synthetic body, pale as porcelain. She bent down and retrieved a gleaming silver armored gauntlet from the case, examined it briefly, then locked it onto her forearm with a mechanical click.
She repeated the process, installing matching combat plating on her other arm and both legs. In an instant, she transformed from an ordinary domestic model into a fully weaponized combat unit—something straight out of The Terminator.
Domestic androids aren't supposed to have any offensive hardware installed. Seeing this, Mason was shocked. This synthetic's rampage was clearly premeditated; she'd not only purchased illegal military equipment through her owner's black market accounts but had also likely planned her entire escape route.
If he hadn't stumbled upon Mr. Hansen's corpse by sheer chance, this incident might have remained undiscovered indefinitely.
Weren't androids supposed to be governed by the Three Laws? Was this a random malfunction, or evidence of a larger conspiracy being concealed by Cyberdyne or Tyrell Corporation? Mason felt like he was being dragged into something way above his pay grade.
Not long after, the now-armored android put on a long coat, opened the door, and left without looking back.
A full five minutes passed after the synthetic's departure before Mason finally stood up, still shaken. A gleaming dagger was embedded in his chest cavity—a normal human would've been dead within seconds.
"Lucky for me, I'm not exactly human," Mason said, his voice filled with lingering dread. To be honest, he didn't know what kind of being he actually was.
Two months ago, when he arrived in this dimension, he'd woken up lying in a drainage canal. He initially thought he'd been reincarnated into an ordinary person until he discovered the Arc Reactor-style energy core embedded in his chest.
To be precise, it was a bio-fusion battery that provided him with power.
Although he outwardly appeared no different from a normal human—hell, he could even jack off normally—all his energy was supplied by the reactor in his chest. Normal food could satisfy his taste receptors but couldn't be converted into usable power.
Like ordinary people needing calories, if he didn't get energy for extended periods, he'd become extremely weak, and might even die from complete power depletion.
The android's blade had completely pierced through his bio-reactor, destroying his primary power supply. What was keeping Mason's systems running now was only the emergency reserve energy stored throughout his body. Before this backup ran out, he had to find a way to get home and repair the damage!
If anyone discovered his secret—that he was some kind of bio-mechanical hybrid—he had a feeling something extremely bad would happen. Dissection tables and government black sites came to mind.
Carefully erasing any traces he might have touched, Mason cautiously surveyed the apartment, then slipped out the door.
The corridor was pitch black, and there were no security cameras in this sector. If any were installed, they'd be destroyed by gangs within hours. Over time, this whole district had become a dead zone for law enforcement. As long as there wasn't a full-scale firefight during daylight hours, the cops were happy to pretend it didn't exist.
This saved Mason a lot of trouble. It was already completely dark outside, and there were almost no pedestrians on the streets. When Mason went downstairs, he found several sketchy-looking guys circling his vehicle.
"Back off!" He pulled the combat knife from his belt and brandished it aggressively.
Seeing Mason's hostile posture, the thugs hesitated, only retreating warily after Mason took a few threatening steps forward. It wasn't that they were actually afraid of him—they just figured this guy probably wasn't carrying anything worth the risk of getting stabbed over.
"Energy depleting, recharge immediately, recharge immediately!"
Warning text scrolled across Mason's vision. His internal HUD was alerting him that his power reserves had reached critical levels.
He felt weak in the limbs, his breathing protocols were malfunctioning, and he felt lightheaded. He gritted his teeth and struggled to climb into the car.
"Shit, I need to get home now!" Mason started the engine and headed toward his safehouse.
In this era of maglev vehicles and autonomous transports, a gasoline-powered clunker like his was a relic from another century—and not in a valuable antique way. Only a broke-ass nobody like Mason would drive one, and even then, they were only seen in the absolute worst parts of the border city.
He hadn't driven far from the commercial district when he saw flashing emergency lights in the distance, indicating that police were conducting a random checkpoint. Panicked, he tried to turn around and duck into a nearby side street, but suddenly felt his systems failing. He crashed into the roadside barrier with a sickening crunch of metal.
"What the hell happened?!" Hearing the collision, sirens wailed in the distance, and several armored police officers rushed over, surrounding Mason's smoking vehicle.
"Citizen, present your identification immediately!" A spotlight blazed into the car, and a cold, synthesized voice demanded compliance.
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